Speak Now, or Forever Hold your Peace
by Anonymizz334
Summary: Mal knows he doesn't have much time left to tell Natara how he really feels. He has one chance to speak. Will he have the courage? Or will he sit in silence as she marries another man?
1. Chapter 1

**Special Agent Natara Williams**

Weddings. As a female, I'm guilty of planning mine since I was five years old. And of course, like every other girl, I wanted a beautiful, all-white gown, stunning, vibrant flowers, and prince charming waiting for me at the end of the aisle.

Prince charming, I guess in my case was District Attorney Oscar Santos. Oscar was definitely a prince charming, was he mine? I didn't really know. Sometimes love takes a while to develop, and I definitely didn't want to keep Oscar on pins and needles waiting for me to finally accept his proposal. Besides, what could go wrong? He was cute, charming, and I knew he was going to be a pretty good husband. He had been a pretty good boyfriend, and I knew that eventually I might get that weak in the knees, head over heels, butterflies in my stomach feelings over Oscar. Maybe. Maybe not. But then again, maybe real love isn't like that. High school, summer romances are like that. But I needed to face the music, I was not in high school anymore. Maybe this is what mature, big-girl love was like.

At the end of the day, I guess that's all I can expect, anyways.

I briskly followed my little sister Neha around the boutique. "Oh my god! This one! Please wear this one!" She said for what had to have been the hundredth time that hour.

"Add it to the pile." And that wasn't an exaggeration. There was a pile a mile high in the dressing room waiting for me.

Shopping for my wedding dress with my mom and sister should have been very exciting, but it just wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I never really liked being in the spotlight. Especially while I tried on my wedding dresses. Especially under a time limit.

"Either way, I do have to be back at the precinct in like an hour and a half. So I should probably start trying them on, right?"

Neha rolled her eyes. Picking another one from the shelf, she handed it to my mother, who followed behind us both as if she were the wedding planner. In a sense, she kind of was. "Come on! Don't be the buzz kill! Work can wait for now, this is a huge part of your life that will only happen once."

"Yeah? So is money. And if the feds decide to can me, I guess I won't have any more of that, will I?"

She paused, sighing and seeing my avoidance of the entire 'wedding' issue, she finally spoke. "… Fine. But come on!" She pushed me playfully. "This is your big day. Try to be excited about it a little!"

It was easier said than done, and I shuffled my way through the mountain that Neha and my mother had made, as I tried on only the ones that really caught my attention. But after another hour of Neha loving every single one, me hating every single one, and my mom being Switzerland, I was on the verge of giving up.

"I really like that white and baby blue one with the lace! What's wrong with that one?" She hollered from the other side of the door.

"Too much blue."

Then my mom spoke up, "What about that gorgeous all white with the pearls around the top? I thought it was very unique. It looked good on you."

I ignored their banter from the other side, and tried to dig into my own mind. Being a profiler, you'd be surprised how difficult it is for me to figure myself out. I had to think, I have to like it, Oscar has to love it, the guests have to like it, and Mal. _Mal…_

I froze when the name entered my mind. Mal and I hadn't really been all that close since he found out I was marrying the handsome District Attorney. There was that constant tension. And ignoring it was another battle. But Mal and I were friends, good friends, best friends. That wasn't ever going to change.

"Natara? Are you okay in there?" Neha shouted.

I was startled, but regained composure. "Fine. But hey, can we maybe postpone this whole dress thing? I really have to get back to the precinct. I have a mountain of paperwork and the Captain will kill me if it isn't done in time. "

I finished putting on my work attire again, and exited the fitting area. "It's okay Natara, we're going to find the perfect wedding dress for my big sister."

After departing from both my mom and sister, I made my way back towards the precinct. It was roughly one thirty when I crashed into my tall, brick-bodied partner, Mal. I usually was pretty coordinated. But for whatever reason. Mal knocked me right over. "Whoa there, partner. Steady now, steady now. Where do you think you're going?" He chuckled, placing his hands on my waist, and effortlessly lifting me back to my feet.

After fully experiencing the pain of my butt hitting the concrete, and the pain of feeling stupid, I replied. "Thanks, I'm fine. But… Yeah, I was just going to work on some paperwork. I really don't have any other time to do it."

He frowned a little "Well, do you think you could spare a half hour or so? I was going to ask if you maybe wanted to get some lunch? We can do your favorite, Chinese?"

I was torn. Lunch with Mal, when I'm supposed to be engaged to another man. Was it a good idea? I knew what I wanted to say, and what I had to say. I just didn't know what I was going to actually say.

**Detective Mal Fallon**

Her dark brown hair, barely passing her tiny shoulders. Her breathtaking eyes, and that smile she carried. Her intelligence about every possible thing she's ever encountered. Well, I'd be a fool not to be at least a little interested…

_Stop it Mal._

Natara is engaged. Taken. Off the market. So stop. _Your advances are only making her uncomfortable. Look at her._

"Mal, I want to but…. Paperwork, and you know, planning the.. "

I watched her, biting her bottom lip, looking everywhere but at my eyes. The ground was where her vision was primarily fixed. I tried to follow it, but then I realized what she was really staring at. My hands, they were still fixed delicately on Natara's perfect hips. I froze, realizing my mistake, I instantly pulled them away. "S- Sorry. Um.. So, rain check?"

I watched her steady her footing, and take a breath. "Sure… Raincheck."

And just like that, she stood up, and walked right in the direction where she was originally headed, away from me. I sighed.

Natara was just different. But before I explain her so easily, allow me to explain that first of all, she's not easy in any sense of the word.

I've been with plenty of women, and it was never really difficult to hook them. To be honest, and I know it sounded cocky, but it was true. But ever since I met Natara, things were just different…

Even after I started seeing Tasha, and developed small feelings, she passed away. All I needed was someone to be there for me, and Natara was, but as a friend. And as much as I cared for Tasha, I _loved _Natara. It was hard to admit to anybody, even myself. But being open at least made me feel better than keeping it inside, and manifest there. I wanted Natara to know, believe me, but it was simply too late. She was engaged. I lost my chance.

I tried to blow it off, and I made my way down the street towards the only person I really wanted to spend time with, besides Natara. Ken Greene.

The cemetery was just outside of the city, and I didn't mind the walk, I needed it. I needed to talk to Ken. There was a question nobody else could answer.

I let the California wind smack me across the face, waking me up, making me alive again. With everything I lost, between my best friend, a wife, a girlfriend, and my own father. I didn't want this awkward sexual tension to cause Natara to write me off, too. But I didn't know what to do.

Approaching the stone, I felt chills. I knew he was there, and he had to have heard me. "Ken, I need a favor, man. Please help me."

I waited, but realizing that the dead don't really pop out of their graves to talk to people, I kept going. "You know, Maria probably knows, Amy and Kai know, and I think, even Natara knows. You know the woman I'm in love with is about to marry another man. I just want her to be happy. I know she's not. She just wants to be loved and.. The thing is, despite our partnership and us having a strictly professional relationship that we have to maintain, I know I could love her way more than Oscar could. Help me. What do I do?"

I knew he couldn't speak, or probably hear me at all, but I kept going. "I remember the retreat, all those things that I said to save Natara and Kai.. And everybody else… I… I meant them all. And I lied right to her face about the validity of it. She asked me if it was a ruse. I said no. I should have been honest then, maybe. Maybe I should have told her before that. Maybe I should…"

After saying it out loud, I looked around, feeling foolish. Maybe I was making something out of nothing. Maybe this entire dilemma was something I created. Natara wasn't very great at expressing emotions. Maybe she did love Oscar, and maybe all I was doing was justifying my inappropriate feelings for her.

I looked up at the sky, and then closed my eyes, waiting for Ken to give me the cold truth, and then, something unexpected happened. Ken told me something that made me change my entire line of thinking. I knew exactly what I had to do.

**You are now District Attorney Oscar Santos.**

My phone vibrated in my pocket. Seeing the name, I smiled. It was from Natara. "Hey babe! Sorry but I don't think I can do dinner tonight. After I get out of here I promised Neha I would pick my dress! So sorry! Raincheck?"

I sighed, and began typing my reply. "It's okay. Call me later. I love you."

After sending it, I waited for about ten minutes, just staring at the time on my phone as it changed with each minute. No replies. Those three powerful words, she couldn't ever say them. But I was supposed to be the one. I was supposed to be marrying her in only a week, but she still couldn't tell me she loved me.

I sighed again, sighing off the questions, the concern, the worry. Natara loved me. She had to. Or else she wouldn't have said yes, right?

I glanced back at the liquor bottle on my desk, and felt the effects starting to kick in. "Oscar, what are you doing, man?"

My phone was suddenly in my hands, and I instinctively went to my contacts and dialed the letter, "N". I gave it one last shot, I hit the dial button.

After five or so rings, "You've reached Natara Williams and I'm not available right now to take your call. Call me back later, I don't like voicemails." Then it beeped.

**You are now Special Agent Natara Williams.**

The clock struck midnight. I had to do something. I _had _to.

I couldn't stop thinking about everything. The past year and a half that I had spent with Mal, fighting crime, putting away the bad guys, and becoming great friends, all was flashing through my mind. I definitely loved Mal. But I didn't know how I loved him. I knew I would take a bullet for him, and sacrifice my entire life for him. But I didn't know what that really meant. I knew that Mal also had been seeing Blaise, and I knew that my only chance to have confessed anything was gone because of that.

I sighed, and rolled over in my bed. My eyes got caught on my engagement ring, sparkling in the bright moonlight. That's when it hit me. Every tear I had held back recently came oozing out my eyeballs like a river. And I was sobbing like a bafoon. I tried to control it, wiping tears away, burying my face into my pillow, and ruining the white pillowcases with my black mascara, but I couldn't do anything. I lost control.

I thought about everyone. First about Mal of course, and the awkward sexual tension that had been upon us from the very beginning. And how I secretly had some sort of feelings for him, but I never really did anything about it. But then I thought again about Oscar, and how everybody else expected me to marry that man. And that the wedding was less than a week away. I thought about my family. My dad, my mom, and Neha. I wanted nothing more than to make them all happy, but that my father never really approved of my choices to begin with. And I thought about Ken and Amy, how Ken had been killed, and how it completely threw Amy over the edge- enough to run away completely. I even thought about Kai, and how innocent of a person he was when it came to everything, and how caring he was, but that nobody really gave him the time of day. And I thought about the Captain, and how much me and Mal pissed her off, but how she did everything she could to keep us as a team in San Fransisco. And Shawn. Shawn Mallory. The craziest freaking psychopath in the world, and my ex-partner and ex-boyfriend. I missed Shawn.

That's what hurt me the most. I never could get over Shawn because I never wanted to come to terms with what happened to him. If he wouldn't have hopped on the crazy train, I would have married him. He had done so much for me, and what happened? He lost his mind. Thanks to Genevieve. But that- that was a completely different story. And all of this made me realize one thing, that I didn't think about me until the very end. Natara. Natara never came first. What about what I wanted? What if I don't want to marry Oscar? What if I broke off the engagement? The local media would flip out, my family would flip out, _Mal _would flip out. But maybe I shouldn't care about any of that.

Maybe I just needed to make a decision based off of _Natara._

I flushed out a few more pathetic tears, long enough to open up my ears to a noise I definitely hadn't expected.

A knock.


	2. Chapter 2

**You are now Special Agent Natara Williams**.

I cleaned myself up quickly, expecting that Neha had paid me a visit. She was probably drunk and needed a place to crash.

But when I opened the door, I was stunned.

"_Mal?"_

He smiled, with his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?"

He kept smiling, and made his way around me into the hotel room. I desperately tried to see what was behind his back, but he moved quickly enough that I couldn't. "I know your wedding is in a few days. And I didn't really know what to do for a gift. I didn't want to get you and Santos silverware, plates, or potpourri so…. Here's your present."

He brought his hands out, and I couldn't help but smile at what was in them.

It was a tiny, stuffed horse. In the other, was a tiny black box. I panicked. "A horse? I'm so confused."

He chuckled. "I wanted to get you a pet, because I know you kept saying you wanted one. And I know the only animal you truly want is… a horse. But, you live in the city, and can't really keep one here. So, I give you…" He opened the little tag attached that had the horses name printed on it, "Shane."

**You are now Detective Mal Fallon.**

"…Shane…" Her beautiful green irises began to swell. "But that sounds like.."

I had never seen her shed a tear. She was always so strong. And when I came up here, I noticed she looked upset, but I never thought I'd see the day where Natara Williams cried. "Are you talking about Shawn Mallory? Nat, I know it was hard, and that you were very close to him before he… you know… fell off the deep end. And look, I swear I didn't do this to upset you.. I… "

She shook her head. I could see her breaking point on the verge. And a cruel, deep, sadistic part of me wanted her to break down a little. I wanted her to see that I was here for her. I was going to be strong when she couldn't. That was the point of us being partners. "It's fine, Mal. I'm fine."

Suddenly, I couldn't control myself. "No, Natara. You're not. Your eyes are red, swollen, and you look pale. You look terrified. What's wrong?"

She froze, all I could do was move closer.

"Talk to me." She buried her face, trying to hide the oncoming tears.

"Mal, I'm fine." She mumbled.

"I'm sick of you telling me that. You shouldn't lie to me. I can understand hiding things from yourself, but don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying Mal!" She completely broke down. She kept talking, but I couldn't make any sense. Everything was muffled by tears and my chest.

My arms were around her instantly, comforting her, rubbing her back, stroking her hair. I acted like I knew what to do here, but really, I didn't have a clue.

Nobody wants to see somebody they love hurting. Especially when I didn't have the slightest clue how to fix it.

After about five minutes of her blurting out sentences and words I couldn't understand, I felt the crying stop. "Natara, listen. I don't know what you're going through, and it would be a whole lot easier if I did. But here's what I do know. I know that you and I, we've survived so many things. We've surpassed terrorist attacks, psychopath ex-boyfriends, masked murderers, and well… we've come this far. And we're still in one piece. I know you're going to be okay, Natara. You're the strongest, smartest, most beautiful person I know. You're going to do just fine, no matter what you do in life. Trust me."

Suddenly, everything was silent, and there was a sniffle. And she slowly pulled her face out of my chest. "I know I'm going to be alright… it's just that… I don't want to be."

I waited, knowing there had to be more.

"I wanna be good… I wanna be _happy._"

I froze. "Wait, aren't you?"

She moved away from me towards the window, where she glanced down. Obviously, she didn't want to be near me. I didn't know if she felt insecure or what, but I knew that this was my chance to talk to her. And I had to take advantage. "But doesn't Oscar make you happy?" I followed her, and brushed the wispy hairs out of her face.

"Oscar's great but… I don't know."

"Aren't you guys in love?"

I moved my hand down to her waist, and that's when she froze.

"M-Mal… To be honest, I don't know. I know he loves me… but I-I don't know if I.. "

I turned her around to face me, as more light tears continued to fall. "Natara, honey… Look at me." I let my finger rest underneath her chin, while I attempted to tell her words with my eyes. They screamed at her. _I love you, Natara. That's right, I, your partner, am in love with you. Please. Tell me you do. All you need to do is say the words, and I can make everything perfect for you again._

I saw a light in her eyes, despite how dim the room was, and how eerie the silence was. Everything told me to move in. I even heard Ken, screaming down from the heavens, to do it. Just do it.

So I did.

**You are now Special Agent Natara Williams.**

The earth shattered when I felt Mal's lips crash with mine. My legs gave out, but Mal caught me. His arms made their way around my waist and I was stuck. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I could barely even breathe. I felt like a teenage girl again, in love.

But then, my brain had to interfere. "Mal? What are you doing?"

He frowned and backed far away. I felt horrible. I couldn't bear his puppy dog gaze. Those piercing blue eyes burning holes in the floor… I wanted them to look back at me. But he wouldn't. He felt bad, and I could tell. But I had done it, I had technically cheated on Oscar, with my partner, Mal. I felt way worse than he ever could have felt. "Mal, I think you should go."

He nodded. And that eerie silence that was there earlier, it came back. But this time, Mal wasn't in it. And he didn't have his lips pressed against mine. And his arms weren't wound around me. I felt… alone. That's when I realized the worst part of the whole thing.

I was the one making the mistake. If I loved him, which I did, I needed to be with him. Not Oscar. And as handsome as Oscar was, he wasn't Mal. He didn't have the trust I gave Mal. He didn't have Mal's personality. Not his cheeky grin, his ocean blue eyes, his amazing smile. Oscar didn't have one big thing though, the _love._ Mal gave me so much unconditional love, even as friends and partners, that Oscar could never give me. And during those few seconds when Mal and I were tangled up in each other during that kiss, I realized that I was happier then, then I'd ever really been.

And it was only fitting that I needed to follow my gut. I ran down the hall of the hotel, panting, but still running. "MAL! WAIT!"

Fellow guests noticed as I ran past, but I didn't care.

I turned the corner, eyeing the elevator. "M-Mal!" I whimpered. But I was out of breath. I was too late.

**Detective Mal Fallon**

I didn't think it would ever come to Natara _rejecting _me. I was certain that she felt the same way that I did. She was stubborn, yeah, and I was prepared to break through that barrier. But this, her asking me to leave?

I didn't know what else I could do.

The only thing I could think about was her, and the softness of her lips as she buried herself in my arms, how amazing her perfume smelled, how smooth her hair was. I just wanted it back. But then I realized the harsh truth. That if she loved me, and it was meant to be. She would have come running after me. I waited then for a moment. Waiting to see her hotel room open.

Oh well. I went back to the elevator, and pressed the respective buttons to get back downstairs. And as the doors closed behind me, I thought I heard my name.

But knowing me, and my clearly delusional mind, I kept going. She didn't love me at all, at least not like how I loved her. That was for Shawn, for Oscar, for anybody else in her past… but not for me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Special Agent Natara Williams**

Disappointment was an understatement. And even though Mal had kissed away my tears, I knew more were on their way. My eyes wandered towards the floor, and I remembered: The little black box.

That was Mal's other present to me for my wedding. I picked it up and walked back to my room, fearing what was inside. An engagement ring? No. It couldn't have been.

I swallowed my fear and peeked inside. After opening it fully, another tear left me.

"Mal…" I sniffled the following tears back in, and removed the contents from the box. It was a necklace. A silver pony necklace.

Without hesitation, I lifted my hair up and clipped it on, which is something fairly impossible to do on your own but… I did it.

I did it, and my personal exhaustion took over. I went to sleep.

**Mal Fallon**

It had been exactly five days since Natara and I kissed. And during those five days, I hadn't heard from her. I didn't know if I even _wanted _to. But one thing I was aware of, was the day. And it was the day of Natara's wedding. Her wedding finalizing her marriage to District Attorney, Oscar Santos. The thought made me want to vomit. And Natara decided she wanted to finally do something for herself. I admired that. I'm Mal, and as Mal, I decided nothing was more sickening than watching the woman I love marry somebody else. Not just someone else, but somebody that she didn't even have feelings for.

And I knew I couldn't let this happen. But there was nothing else I could really do, I needed more time, but time is irreversible.

**Natara Williams**

The gown was beautiful. Everything was beautiful. The flowers were all white, just like my dress.

The dress I chose was honestly the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen. It was long, satin and strapless, with a pearly-colored white encompassing all of the dress. The back was like a corset, with a lace opening going down the back, but the lace was beaded, and off-white, with a long train dangling behind me.

Plus, I trusted Neha and my mother to take care of my hair. I was very on the fence about it, but as it turned out, my hair looked _stunning. _She put, long, bouncy curls throughout my hair, but she tied half of my hair up into a loose bun. On top of all of that, was my veil.

While studying the mirror, my eyes were snagged on one thing: the necklace. I debated with myself for a couple of minutes. It threw off the entire outfit but… I really didn't care. Mal hadn't spoken to me since the incident at my hotel room, and a part of me questioned whether or not Mal would show up to the wedding. All I wanted was for him to be happy, and when I woke up this morning, I realized that I wasn't the person to make him happy. After what I did last night, rejecting him like that, I knew he deserved much better. Besides, it was too late to call the wedding off. Oscar's family was all here. Our friends were here. My entire family, including my father, was here, at the wedding venue, and everything was scheduled to begin in an hour.

"Neha, can I talk to you?" I whispered, as she finished lacquering hairspray onto my head.

"Of course. Shoot."

I looked around, seeing my bridesmaids, my mom, and all of my female family around me, in an earshot. "Not in here… umm… outside."

She shot my a baffled look. "But…. Your dress. And your hair. Nothing can get ruined, Natara."

I sighed. "Just for a second, please."

She thought for a second. "Guess it couldn't hurt."

She led me quickly out the backdoor of the venue, hiding me from other people, as well as my groom. It was bad luck if he saw me. I wasn't big on superstitions, but I definitely believed in that one. "So big sis, what's wrong?"

I paused, and regretted wanting to come out here. Not because I didn't know what I was saying to her, but because it was freezing outside. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

She raised her brow. "Come on. Natara, today is your wedding. Your only wedding. You don't even look nervous. You look _bored,_ dude. I know, it raises an alarm. I know eventually, you'll get there. After the ceremony starts, I might see Natara actually break a sweat… Crazy right?"

Neha, she stole the words from the back of my throat, where they were stuck and begging for air. "Yeah, I guess. I just.. Hate this whole ceremony stuff. It's stressful.. That's all."

Her eyes sparkled as she let out a giggle. "Yeah. But just think! You're gonna be so happy when you're with the man of your dreams… "

Again, we snuck back inside into the women's wing, making sure nobody saw me that hadn't already.

They insisted on touching me up, and I endured it. I looked at the clock on the wall, noticing the time. And it was up.

**Detective Mal Fallon**

The clock struck one, and the wedding was scheduled to be starting… now. I didn't really know how I felt about it.

Obviously I was disappointed. I loved Natara. But all the while, if you love somebody, set them free, and if they don't return… you must be Mal Fallon.

I couldn't stop looking at the clock, and then back down at my liquid courage as it began to kick in. I wasn't drunk, or even buzzed. But I definitely had _nerve_ right then. I wanted closure. Natara rejected me, sure, but not blatantly. Not blatantly enough.

I took another big swig, and it burned on the way down.

I set the bottle down, dashing into my closet. I threw on a solid black tee, and some dark jeans. I didn't worry about dressing for a wedding, because if I could help it, it wouldn't be a wedding after all.

I ran as fast as I could, through traffic and I almost knocked over women, children, and a hot dog stand. I felt bad, but I had to keep running.

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the church. And I froze, because I had no idea what I was going to say. I didn't know what I was gonna _do. _But I knew I had to do something. I took one last breath before I threw the door open.

It was mid-ceremony. And there was so many people there, that when I walked in, hardly anybody noticed me enter. Plus, it was a long aisle. Natara didn't hear. Oscar didn't hear. Nobody heard. So I stepped aside, and I waited.

After a few minutes of the minister blabbering some poop about vows, love, and… other stuff I didn't pay any attention to, I heard the words that signified my last opportunity: "Does anybody out there today have any objections?… Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

I waited a minute, as did the minister. And I saw Natara's body tense. I began to make my way up the aisle, and eyes wandered to me as I did. Nobody I recognized, except for others from the precinct, and Natara's father, Raj. That's when I heard Natara's faint voice mutter: "Oscar.. I.."

I was going to let her finish, but I decided I needed to talk first. I didn't way him to attempt to convince her that this marriage should finalize. I spoke loudly: "I definitely do."

Suddenly, every eye in the room turned to me, all were staring daggers, too. Except for the only pair I really cared about… Natara's.

She looked gorgeous. I mean, She always did, but today… oh man. "Natara, I can't believe I'm here at all today. But you know what? I don't care about any of this. What people are going to say, or what they're gonna think. The only thing that I care about is _you. _Natara, I _love _you, so _so_ much."

Everything was quiet. I half-expected Oscar to throw a fist in my face, but he didn't. Not yet, anyways. "I love everything about you. And I'm not going to be that guy that interrupts your wedding and on top of that, lists off all the things that made me fall in love with you. Because it would be everything. Unless of course you want specifics, then I'll give them. Which if you did, I'd say it's how the sun hits your hair, the expressions you make, how absolutely fearless you are… and just… everything. Literally everything. Even last night, when you cried for me, for the first time ever, Natara… I still love you. And I'm telling you, I know you feel the same."

I waited, watching her face turn pale, and her eyes grow in every direction. I know she was scared, and she was under a ton of pressure. But this was it. This was my only hope.

"Natara, I'm going to go until you stop me. Because I know you want this, too. We've been partners for a while. And ever since I met you, I knew there was something special about those green eyes of yours. I knew that eventually, I would fall head over heels for you. Congratulations, Natara. You made me your victim. I'm lost for words. And I guess… you should know… on that resort when I made up that "ruse" to distract Gil in order to stop the bomb, it wasn't a ruse at all. I meant every word.. I had to. Come on. I can't talk people down like you can, that's all you…. And.. Well, I don't know what else to say except… don't do this. Don't throw it all away. You're not happy. And all I want is for you to be happy. So please, let me make you happy."

She didn't say anything, and then, just then, the alcohol wore off. But I realized, I didn't even need it. No matter how awkward this was, it still felt like it was just Natara and I, alone in a crowded room. Suddenly, her painted lips finally muttered words. "Everybody… I'm going to be right back."

People started letting out gasps, and small words were exchanged between members of the audience. I felt Natara's usually gentle fingers wrap themselves around my wrist as she dragged me out the front door.

And as soon as we hit the fresh air, she started yelling. "Mal! What the hell are you thinking?"

I froze, not expecting that.

"Mal… I… I must be dreaming. You did not just object at my wedding!"

I tried to move closer to her, to calm her down, but she just wasn't having it. "Natara, please.. I didn't intend on hurting you. I needed you to know."

"It couldn't have waited?"

I didn't want to lose it, but it was hard. With her yelling, and people staring out the front windows of the chapel at us, I lost my control a little. "NO! Today was my last chance. You have to know I cared! Would I have done all this if I didn't?"

She chuckled. "Yeah? No Mal, maybe you do care, and maybe you are in love with me but…. That was insane. Too insane for me. And I'm a goddamn federal agent."

I didn't know what else to say, really. I felt heartbroken, again. Complete déjà vu. "Natara, come on. Don't do this to me… I've risked everything for you. I'd do it all again. Just give me a chance. Please."

She had already started making her way back inside, but she turned back around. "Mal… what's funny is that today, up there, I was going to tell Oscar that I needed more time. And then I was going to call it off completely. But after this, I don't know anymore. You humiliated me. You told them I _cried _in front of you!"

I sighed loudly. "So what? Come on, Natara. I was just trying to explain…"

"Explain what? How much you like to embarrass me?"

"Natara!"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE, MAL! I just want… I want to be left alone. Please."

Her sweet, Natara eyes burned holes in me, as she turned around, and walked back In the direction she was originally headed, away from me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Natara Williams**

"So.. Are you going to give him the ring back?" Neha chirped up from across the table.

The most humiliating, worst day of my life so far had been exactly one week ago at my wedding, and the hype hadn't even been close to dying down yet. But I kept hoping. "I already did." I mumbled, shoving a few more pieces of potato into my mouth.

Raj had been very quiet since the wedding, and I knew that maybe there was more to it than the obvious, but I didn't want to even bring it up. It would die down eventually, right?

But leave it to my little sister to continue to make the conversation more awkward. "So Natara, can you believe that about Mal? His like.. Whoa crazy obsession with you? I knew it all along, but I kind of thought you might too… soo…. Yeah."

And then, for the first time all week, my mom said something. "Yeah, Nat. To be honest, when you first mentioned your engagement, we all thought the guy was Mal, not this Oscar guy."

I dropped my fork. "Can we not talk about any of this… ever… again?" I tried to sound as irritated as possible, but it was hard. Because I definitely wanted to talk about it, but not to my mom, my dad, and definitely not Neha. The only person I wanted to talk to was Mal.

Of course I felt horrible for screaming at Mal. Yes, I felt so publicized and very embarrassed, but I couldn't help but feel horrible for my partner. I, again, knew deep down that I wanted to date Mal but… I didn't know what to do. Sure, it would have started with simply going to his apartment and talking to him, and we might have then made out, and more…. But the entire situation was just strange now. I didn't know how going back to work would be tomorrow, but that was something else I didn't want to think about, but rather, just deal with it as it was happening.

Raj spoke up. "He really does love you, Natara. Mal, I mean."

I sighed, ready to scream that for the last time, I didn't want to talk about it. But being a profiler and really into psychology, I put myself in my father's and everybody else's shoes. It was an interesting situation. My partner of almost a year and half being in love with me, and having to watch me marry a man I didn't even love. It was something for the books. "Dad, I…"

"Listen to me, you're my oldest daughter. And I know that what Mal did was crazy, but I want someone that loves my daughter that much. At the end of the day. I love your mother that much. And it's your decision how you handle the situation with Mal, but don't write him off just because of what he did at the wedding."

"I know, dad. Mal's my best friend in the whole world it's just that… he's my partner. How do you think the captain, or better yet, the lieutenant would react if they found out about this?"

Everything got silent.

And again, leave it to Neha. "Natara… this entire thing was on the local news. You marrying Oscar, the district attorney, that was a big deal. So when the handsome partner you've been fighting crime with made an appearance at your wedding and declared his love to you, naturally, that was publicized also."

Shit. She was definitely right. No matter what, I was going to hear from the entire precinct whether I wanted to or not. "Well, maybe none of them saw any of the footage."

"Okay, in a perfect world, but down here in reality, everybody saw it and… don't be surprised if they decide to end the partnership."

I froze, dropping my fork. _End. The. Partnership. _Was that even possible? I guess Neha was right. I had gone on thinking that Mal and I were such a perfect team that nobody could ever break us up like that. But with this stunt, if Anders saw it, it would be the very first thing he'd do.

And I couldn't bear not to be working with Mal. Sure, after all of this was going to change our friendship, but I wasn't so sure it couldn't be rebuilt. But not waking up every morning, heading to the SFPD, and hearing a witty joke every morning to top off my coffee, it would be hell.

"Natara?" Neha boomed.

"S- Sorry, zoned out."

She shook her head, and picked her plate up. "Come on everyone, let's do some dishes."

**Mal Fallon**

"Alright, well, Mal, you didn't leave me really any other options…" My captain, Maria Yeong, was very upset for me for the stunt I pulled at Natara and Oscar's wedding. And I guess that was my fault, because I didn't even anticipate this. I figured she would respond better than she did. Maybe a kiss, some hugs, some loving words, then back to my place…

"Come on, Captain. I know it looks bad, but it's not bad. Natara's gonna walk in here and pretend like nothing even happened! I promise."

She chuckled, slamming down the rest of her coffee. "Malachi, she will. But I know you well enough to know that you won't."

That's when the grumpy lieutenant entered the room… with Natara. Natara took a seat next to me, surprisingly. And Anders continued standing.

Natara's profiling rubbed off on me, and I realized that the only reason he was standing still, despite there being an empty chair next to the captain, was to assert his position. He felt inadequate in some way, standing made him feel more powerful. "Good morning agent, detective, We have a case in the works, so I will keep this very brief. But here's what's going to happen. Effective immediately. Mal, you will be reassigned a new partner, Blaise Corso. This is temporary seeing as she also has a new partner. And Natara, we're going to use you on this final case, and then… we don't need you in San Fransisco any longer. However, we definitely appreciated everything you've done."

I froze, seeing the hurt in my Captain's face, and the _devastation_ in my partner's face, I needed to do something. "But Lieutenant! Come on, haven't you realized by now that Natara and I are a great team no matter what? We've.."

He interrupted me. "Saved lives? Stopped murderers? Eliminated threat? Right. Yeah, yeah. Clearly, there is something very romantic going on here. Which no matter how I try and justify it, there isn't any way this can go on. But, here is the game plan for today. Natara, I would love to have your eyes and ears down at the crime scene. And Mal, I would like for you to stay back here and finish up some reports." He then began to walk out, and Natara stopped him with a question.

"When you said, case in the works… do you mean?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's a hostage situation."

**Blaise Corso**

"Heard the news?" A familiar voice perked up from behind me. Mal Fallon, the infamous detective.

"Uh… you got rejected by Natara. Not surprised. I knew she wouldn't go for the whole Public display of affection thing."

He frowned, shaking his head. "Erm… no. Not that. I was reassigned partners."

"What? You're joking! I never thought I'd see the day… I mean, I knew they'd do something. But they reassigned you guys partners? That sucks! Who's the new partner? A rookie, like mine?"

I followed her as she entered the cubicle area. "No. It's you, Blaise."

She stood frozen in her tracks. "Me! But… Jeremy, and I…"

I laughed. "Don't be so excited, it's only a temporary thing."

"Then what about Natara? What's she gonna do? Ride solo?"

"She's getting sent home." The words burnt through my throat on the way out.

Blaise made it to her desk, and she began sifting through a stack of papers. "Mal… all that stuff you said at the ceremony, you really meant it didn't you?"

I knew I was going to keep getting asked this question. I decided honesty was the best policy. "Every word."

Blaise looked at me. "Yeah, well, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out that she feels the same way. She's just embarrassed. Give her some time. Trust me on this one, Mal."

I shrugged. "Well, either way now, I guess we'll never know. This will be her last case."

"Mal, If it's meant to be, it will happen. And you and Natara… you two were meant to be. I know this."

**Natara Williams**

I arrived at the scene. A large bank in the middle of downtown, typical. I wasn't a negotiator, but I've done it before. Many times. Although I had to admit, my motivation was very little. And it was understood. Me and Mal, we were a team. An unbeatable team. Working without him made me feel empty.

However, I had done it before. And I was prepared to do it again.

The scene of the crime was swamped with television reporters, news vans, and members of the police department. A SWAT team was present as well. Yet, despite the commotion, everything was fairly quiet. Several law enforcement teams talked amongst themselves. I kept my eye out for other agents, but there were none. That's when I realized them were expecting me to negotiate, something I wasn't really familiar with the specifics of.

That's when I was approached by my Captain, who I had never really seen leave her desk. "Natara, come here."

I didn't argue, I followed her briskly as she lead me up to a megaphone. After we were up directly in front of the yellow crime scene tape, she began to whisper to me.

"Listen, we've already gotten word from one of the robbers. Well, we're assuming he stole some money. We aren't sure… anyways, we're trying to figure out what they want. And… well… they responded with.. Your name, Natara."

I dropped my cell phone, and froze. I began to stutter, and didn't even realize it. "W- Wha T- They What?"

"They want you. Again, I don't know why. But we're guessing there is anywhere from fifty to one-hundred hostages in there, between all thirty floors of the building. A few have escaped, and they are undergoing interviews and whatnot. But for now. We need to make you the bait, Natara."

I had an idea, a silly idea. But an idea. "Why are you volunteering me as bait, captain? Why should I sacrifice my life again?"

She didn't know what to say. You could tell. She just sighed, and shrugged. "You're right. You're leaving tomorrow. Going back to Quantico. And I just separated you from your long-time partner. Of course, you're ambivalent. But here's the thing. These… men… If it is all men in there, have already seen you. They have somebody watching the outside, several men, apparently. If you don't go in, everybody in there dies."

I sighed, realizing that Maria was right. "Goddammit. So how do you want me to do this?"

She handed me the megaphone that was previously in her hands. "Just talk."

There were hundreds of people gathered on the street around us. And I knew this could very well end badly, all because of two wrong words. So I had to plan carefully. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Special Agent Natara Williams, here. Now, I would love to know who I am speaking to today. Does anybody want to come forward?"

Silence. Cold, dark, silence. It must have been ten minutes. I kept repeating myself. "Don't be shy. I'm not trying to harm anybody. It's just me- Natara. You asked for me."

Again. Silence. I decided to push it. "Well then, I guess nobody's in there. They must not want me, after all. I guess I should leave…"

And right then is where I heard a voice.

**Mal Fallon**

With the Captain and Lieutenant being absent from the station and down at the crime scene, the Captain appointed Blaise and myself in charge temporarily. However, chaos erupted. Everyone was suddenly gathered around the tiny break room television, with my partner… I mean _ex-_partner's face plastered all over it.

A newscaster was speaking, "Special Agent of the FBI, Natara Williams is on-site. Today she is actually negotiating herself, if you can believe it. The criminals have specifically asked for her, and any moment, she is prepared to walk through those front doors. Using her impeccable skill and profiling talent, will she be able to secure all one-hundred or so hostages?"

Everything began to fade out. "Vanessa, I think so. She's done wonderful things for the city before. And I personally give my trust to her with this… who knows who's in there as far as hostages?"

The hot coffee in my hand, it fell, and it plummeted down towards the tiled floor, splashing steaming coffee on a rookie agent, Rolley Henderson.

"Ahh- shit! What gives, Fallon?"

I still couldn't speak. Natara. _My _partner. Love of _my_ life. Throwing herself into the fire. I needed to prove this didn't affect me. But it did. And it was already too late to prove anything. I had already shown that I was crazy about her. And now, I was supposed to sit back, watch her risk her life, again? No. I couldn't. Not this time.

I didn't even reply to Rolley, or apologize. I just started running. Blaise stepped out of one of the corridors and tried to grab my shift. "Hey! Where are you going?" I couldn't even stop. "Blaise, you're in charge."

I started sprinting down the street, towards where the crowd was forming, and where it seemed a train of sirens were heading. I was hoping I could stop her before it was too late. Even _I _knew what she was walking into.

**Natara Williams**

"I certainly do, Miss Williams. But that's just a simple statement of an emotion. Here is what needs to happen, though. We're in a predicament. All of these hostages need you and well… we can discuss this further when you get inside."

I nodded. "How would you like for me to do that?"

I tried to observe where the voice was coming from, but I couldn't. The range seemed close, but that's only because it was amplified. I was assuming he had wired a microphone from somewhere deep inside the building to a speaker out here. Which meant he wasn't working alone. He probably had men working for him on every floor of the building. "Well, Natara. I realize you're a very smart woman. Smarter than me, probably. Maybe. We'll certainly find out. But either way, leave your gun. And… I will know if you have one. And if you come in here armed, Miss Williams, I will blow the head off of every single person in here. Understand?"

I was pretty used to situations where people made me either throw my gun, unarm my gun, or just lose it. I complied. "Of course." I pulled my gun from its holster, and dropped it on the pavement. "See. Gun is gone."

He laughed. "Alright Miss, go ahead, make yourself at home. _ALONE._"

The line cut out, and moved to an eerie silence. Shit, I muttered to myself. I whispered out loud, "Last one, for the road."

I approached the building slowly, one foot in front of the other. Walking into what could very well be my own death was risky, but expected of me. I made my way up the steps, counting each one in my head. And that's when I heard his voice. Mal's.

"NATARA? Don't be an idiot! What are you doing?"

I couldn't even turn around. My fingers jittered one last time, and they wrapped around the door handle, securing it in my hands. My last loud, uncomfortable breath escaped my lips. And I opened the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Mal Fallon**

As I shouted out to her, I felt the ice cold grip of my Captain's fingers pull me away. "Mal!" She shouted in a whisper. "What are you doing? Calm yourself!"

I did what she said, but only for a moment. "Captain, are you insane? She's walking into her own death trap!"

Maria shook her head. "Come on, Mal. Don't undermine your partner. She's very smart, and she knows exactly what she's doing."

"No! Relying on her intelligence is one thing. But this is suicide! You sent one agent, unarmed, into a hostage situation with no backup?"

Maria looked irritated. "I know it's unorthodox. But if Natara didn't feel comfortable doing it, she wouldn't of. You should know better than anyone how awesomely stubborn that woman is."

"You better be right, Captain."

Her brow raised. "Or what?"

My voice lowered. And I moved closer. "After removing the partnership, and now this. If anything happens to Natara, Captain, you can have my badge."

She didn't even say anything. She studied me for a moment, identifying and confirming my seriousness. Then she walked away.

I thought for a moment. Trying to plot my next move. I couldn't let Natara do this alone. Sure, she was capable, but I didn't want her to do it alone. Even as just her friend, I couldn't let her. I surveyed the building, trying to find an entry point. The roof was out of the question, since helicopters were circling overhead. And then I remembered everybody's attention was focused on the front door, and what was going on up here. I left the scene, pushing through the giant mob of people, and made my way down the street, cutting through a tiny alley and around the building. There was a clear backdoor entry. But that was too easy. I would have been ambushed, easily. Then I made out a tiny, fogged window that went into some kind of basement. I chuckled, and muttered, "jackpot".

**Natara Williams**

As soon as I made my way through the door, it seemed like, I felt a heavy force bring me down. My entire body was crushed underneath it. "Youch!" I yelled, only because my hair got snagged on whatever it was. "What the hell-"

I pried my eyes open to a black mask, of course. If I ever saw an unmasked criminal at a crime scene, I'd tell Mal to pinch me, because I'd be dreaming. "Miss Williams, it's about time. I was beginning to wonder if you would show up."

I tried to move, and then I realized that when I had gotten thrown down, my arms had been bound behind my back. "Was it necessary to give me a minor concussion on my way in? That's pretty poor hosting."

The masked man laughed. "You're so witty. No wonder your partner is so into you."

"Wait, how do you know Mal?"

The man chuckled, as two other armed men grabbed the back of my wrists, and lifted me off of the ground.

"Come on, Agent. Your little love triangle is all over the news. And quite frankly, the whole story is a bit addicting. But that's not why you're here, I have a much more… _plausible _reason. And we can discuss that upstairs, in my new, temporary headquarters."

Before I knew it, cold fingers slid a blindfold around my eyes, and I was dragged brutally down a flight of stairs. "Ouch! Couldn't we have taken the elevator since you opted to blindfold your hostage?"

I heard a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm not stupid, Miss Williams, I know that your little police department would put a stop on the electrical wiring, the elevator would freeze, and we'd be sitting ducks. Plus, you can't see my face. Not yet, anyways. I want the two of you to be surprised, together."

That made me think. Who else could he be referring to? I couldn't think long, though. I felt my body tossed into a corner, followed by my head smacking into the wall behind me. "Ah… Gee, we can't be gentle? Is it really necessary to be so.."

Suddenly, I was cut off.

And the blindfold was removed. I couldn't believe what I was staring at.

**Mal Fallon**

I had to be discreet. The slightest hint of somebody breaking in from the outside would send an alert to the hostages, and they might start turning heads. It would alert their captors in turn, and they wouldn't hesitate to have my head. And if the captors heard me period, it's sort of self-explanatory.

I figured breaking in the window wasn't a swift plan, so I dug through the pocket of my khakis for my tiny switchblade. I released the handle and watched the spring action of the slicing metal. "…. Nice." I couldn't help but mumble.

It was a risk, seeing as it was a bank, and the glass was quite potentially even bulletproof glass. But thankfully, the building had poorly-executed security features, and I slipped right in. I removed the glass after etching out a perfect square, catching it before it crashed on the concrete, and gently set it down on the pavement outside.

My first move after getting in was something I hadn't considered. I could either whip out my gun and make a run for it, or stealthily sneak around.

I didn't know how much time I had, or how much jeopardy Natara was in. And I had to really think for a minute…

I realized that if the captors had waited so long for Natara to arrive, they weren't going to chop her head off immediately. They probably wanted to toy with her first. Which was a situation she was pretty good at handling, too. As a matter of fact, Natara was pretty good in every situation. She could protect herself, at least for now.

So I snuck into the main basement hall, hearing whispering immediately from the next room. "Mal, you tiger. You're too good at your job."

The voice I heard was definitely Natara's. So I had at least accomplished that. But I knew there had to be somebody guarding her, at the very least. And they had to be close by. So either way, I was screwed. My next decision was quite different than the previous. It was based entirely off of my gut, but that's when I realized something: It wasn't my gut anymore, maybe it was just my heart.

**Natara Williams**

"Mal?" I stuttered, "E-Esmeralda Salazar?"

I had to have been dreaming. I blinked a few times thought, to confirm my suspicions. "Nice to see you again, Nat. Unfortunately… wish it would have been under better circumstances." Mal spoke.

I still was completely baffled. And couldn't say anything. "Shut up! I wish I could let you two hug, kiss, and do all of that… _romantic_ mumbo jumbo. But frankly, there isn't the time. Natara, before we kill the both of you, I just wanted to say thank you for bringing this criminal, murderer, and corrupt cop to me. You have serviced me dearly, and it will actually bring me shame to drive a knife through you."

Mal looked surprisingly cool. He had been in life or death situations with the Salazar's before. The entire cartel wanted Mal dead for quite some time. And Mal had even done a massive favor for Jacob recently, risking both of their lives. Mal started shouting. "Ersheepella… or whatever your name is! We were even! Why are you here? What else could you possibly want from me?"

She laughed, and whipped out a switchblade from behind her back, and it was at Mal's neck. It sent a river of chills down my spine. I panicked, wanting to kill the beotch. But I couldn't. Not yet. "Falcon, I want your life! Your scum of a father screwed my plan! He robbed me! And the fool tried to run! But I couldn't let him get away. While my men were chasing him down, he put a bullet in his skull. He was a coward, just like you."

I saw Mal tense up, ready to start wailing. But I sent him my soothing gaze. He needed to remain calm. Not compliant, but calm. He understood. I couldn't imagine what he was going through right then, but for the time being, I shook my head at him.

Sure, Jacob was definitely dead if he was around Esmeralda. That was fact, but I needed him to focus so we could survive this. "Esmeralda!" I shouted.

All the faces turned to me. I had to kill the situation. Quick.

But her posse wouldn't allow it. "Enough, beauty queen! I'm tying to get this done. The last thing I need is you chirpin' over there. I'll get distracted."

One of her men stuffed the blindfold in my mouth. That wasn't one of my better plans…

**Captain Maria Yeong**

I waited outside as the crowd thickened. Friends and families of the hostages were all scattered throughout the street and sidewalk. I tried to think of what to do. S.W.A.T teams were sitting there, just waiting for the lieutenant's orders to head in and take control of the building.

But Natara was in there. We could only go so much longer. I had to take charge. "Lieutenant, we need to send the team in there. An agent is in there. We can't…"

His blonde brows furrowed in aggravation. "An agent along with about one hundred hostages. Just as well, it turns out someone spotted Detective Fallon running along the south side of the building. Did you see him?"

I swallowed the air in my throat, fearing the worst. "He talked to me. He was here."

His voice raised. "Captain! You should have told me. You know exactly where he is now, right?"

I nodded. "I do, but… "

I was interrupted. "He's putting everything in jeopardy. If those men in there caught on to us sending in officers, they might knock out a hostage! Who knows what they'll do!"

I shook my head, rubbing the temples on my forehead. "That's where you're wrong, lieutenant. Maybe Mal did go in there, sure. But those men asked for Natara. And since they have her, their guard is almost one-hundred percent down. You don't need a doctorate or master's degree to see that. Plus, they're partners. They work together."

His voice trumped mine. "They are no longer partners! And you know Mal didn't go in there for any other reason besides to save Natara."

I felt my fists clenched, and my cheeks turn red in fury. "Please, sir, undermine my staff one more time, and I will lock you out of the precinct, okay? Mal has a heart. He would save anybody's life over his own. And that is why he works for this city. They aren't going to shoot a hostage just because my Detective snuck in through a back door… Clearly, what we're dealing with, is a hell of a lot _bigger_ than that."


	6. Chapter 6

**Mal Fallon**

So there I was, and surprisingly, Natara Williams wasn't what my eyes were focused on. It was Esmeralda Salazar, as she was attempting to explain to us why we were both here. And well… I knew. She wanted nothing more than my blood, and not just that, but she wanted Natara as well.

"Psychologically, it makes sense that I would ask for Natara. I knew better that she would come in here, sacrificing her life to save hostages. Mal, I wasn't so sure you would. I figured you would try and dive in here with your gun, and attempt to quarantine the situation that way. Then I would have killed a hostage. I don't want to do that, Falcon. I don't. But what I did want, was you. And you're here. I knew your infatuation with Agent Williams would lead you right here. Was I wrong?"

As much as I hated this woman, she was kind of right. "Obviously you aren't. I'm here, aren't I?"

She chuckled and put a cigarette up to her lips, lighting it. "But before we get to business, let's talk business. I truly am sorry about your father. He was… actually… a decent person. Definitely not as horrible as you, no offense or anything."

"Oh don't worry, none taken." I was being sarcastic.

With hearing about my father, I was a little distracted, but I caught another gaze across the room from Natara. It was the exact same one she gave me at the resort. It said. _Keep the conversation going._ So I did. And I knew exactly what I had to say, although I didn't really want to. "Detective Fallon, I guess I just have one last question, is there anything you wanna say to anybody in this room?"

She nodded her head towards Natara. "Nah… not really." I replied, "Why?"

She looked a little floored. "Well, Mal, there's something you need to realize. You need to know what you put me and my new family through. You killed people I love! So in return, Natara…" She turned towards the corner, "Gotta go sweetie."

I tried to swallow back my fears as I said the following: "Then wait… I'm confused. Why are you killing Natara?"

"Because.. You love her. You showed all of San Francisco that last week."

I shook my head. "So what? You think it's really going to affect me if you stab her? Sure, It would suck to lose my partner but… she rejected me. So any feelings I have, they don't matter anyways."

She didn't say anything.

"You already got my father, Esmeralda. Sure, he wasn't a great man. And let's be real. I'm not either. But honestly… honestly… If you kill Natara, you're accomplishing nothing."

She looked a little baffled, and then straightened herself up. "Mal, you must think I'm an idiot. You cannot use them words on me! And all you did just there, was piss me off!" She waved at one of her men. And then she spoke something in Spanish.

I knew right then, something horrible was about to happen.

**Natara Williams**

Before Mal or I could do anything, I felt a knife across my cheek. The cut wasn't deep, and I could tell. It burned like hell, but I couldn't let it get the best of me. I had way worse things happen to me, after all.

But watching the horror on Mal's face right then made me make a promise to myself. If we survived this, I was going to apologize for everything. I doubted he would forgive me for rejecting him… twice. But I was going to try.

I needed a way out, though. I needed a plan. And just then, when there wasn't much I could do. I had to think outside of the box. I began to fidget around on the corner, feeling for my phone. I wouldn't be able to call anyone, but making a "butt-dial" wasn't a horrible idea. Somebody, hopefully someone from the precinct, would tell the Captain and Lieutenant to send the SWAT in. But then I remembered dropping my phone outside earlier, really swift, Natara.

All I could do at the moment was wait, hoping that Mal had some sort of plan. The look on his face said he didn't, and neither did I. It was terrifying.

But suddenly, luck worked in our favor. Esmeralda spoke up, "You know what, I have an idea. Gentleman, I'll be back shortly. And lovebirds…" She sent a glare at Mal and myself.. "Sit tight."

After she departed, the men didn't hesitate to tie up Mal, too, but they removed the gag from my mouth, which was pretty shocking. And what was even more surprising, was they let him sit right next to me. I know I should have been contemplating possible escape routes, but I had to address something else, first.

After about five minutes or so of silence, I had to talk to Mal. I just had to. I needed to tell him I loved him, too. Because what if this was my last time with him? What if Esmeralda came plowing back through that door with a grenade launcher? He needed to know. "Mal, can I tell you something?"

He didn't even respond, so I kept going.

"I'm sorry."

His voice grew faint. "Sorry for what?"

"I shouldn't have yelled at you when you told me how you felt. That was screwed up. And the truth is, you.. You didn't deserve it at all."

He sighed. "Nah… I mean, I can understand how that would have been embarrassing. I just wanted you to know… and stuff."

"Mal, it's alright. I just want you to know that… well, I t-think that I feel the same way, kinda."

He froze, and his eyes widened.

"And I think I have. I guess I have a weird way of showing it, huh?"

A small smile escaped his lips, and his blue eyes were still intoxicating, despite how awful this situation was. He was an excellent distraction. "You could say that. But hey, at least you told me. Better late than never."

Our eyes were locked together, and in that moment, he said something I didn't expect. "In case we don't die today.." his eyes wandered towards the men watching us for a moment… then back to me, "promise me something."

I waited.

"Let me take you out to dinner later."

I nodded. "I guess I can stomach it."

"If you're lucky, Natara, I'll let you even be my girlfriend."

"Mal, seriously though, I'm actually worried. And, I just want you to know for real, I do love you." Saying it knocked the wind out of me. I hadn't said it since Shawn. But in an instant, I realized I meant it.

Next thing I knew, Mal kissed me. Yeah, it couldn't be as long, passionate, or intense as I wanted it to be, but the heat of that moment made it so much better "Nat, I said it a hundred times, and I'll say it again. I love you, too. Don't worry about… anything. That's… not you. Be strong."

He made it all seem easy, but our chances were pretty low. Esmeralda wasn't our typical 'profilee'. She wasn't necessarily hard to read, but since she knew my abilities and Mal's abilities, our actions were all pointless. She thought we were basing everything off of me profiling her. Which I had been doing all along, but with the information I gathered already, profiling didn't do me a whole lot of good. "You're right. I guess I just didn't expect any of this. With her. Or with you."

He laughed. "Come on, Natara. This job is never what ya expect, you know that. And as far as my feelings for you… I was pretty caught off guard, too."

"From when I got here? Cause' that's what you said at my wedding."

"Almost wedding. And no, I mean, I always thought you were kinda gorgeous but after a few cases I noticed myself falling for you. I tried dating other women, tried to find new hobbies, and I tried not to think about you as more than a friend. But I had to deal with it eventually, and now I couldn't be happier that I did."

"But Mal, I don't want to die here."

He smiled, and kissed me one more time. "And you won't."

I wished I could have read his mind completely. I didn't know what he was thinking. But after I simply felt too _tired._ I let my body take me. I fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note from Author: **_I just read all the reviews. I have a thing. I don't like to read critiques while I have thoughts and ideas in the works. Sometimes it messes me up. But I guess I will start answering some questions. First, no. I don't ever write fan fiction stories, but I am a writer and have had a couple tiny things published. Thanks to everyone who complemented my writing! I really enjoy it! And Yes, there will be more. I will probably start to update more slowly due to.. Personal life complications. But I right now will be finishing this story up here shortly, and I have another "maltara"-tactical story in the works that I have already begun writing. So yayyyyyyyyy for that! Anyways, thanks again everyone. Enjoy this next chapter. There isn't as much of that… what do you guys call it.. 'maltara', in it as the previous chapters. But my next story definitely does! Hang tight new homies. __J_

**Blaise Corso POV**

The TV screen was still consumed with images of the hostage situation down at the bank. The same, young reporter that had been on all day jumped back onto the screen. "Yes, Blake, our hostages have all been released, but there is no sign of Special Agent Natara Williams of the FBI, or of the San Francisco Police Department's Mal Fallon, who is believed to have snuck into the bank in order to save Natara, who he actually confessed he is in love with, about one week ago at her wedding to District Attorney Oscar Santos."

"Wow, that sure sounds like a giant love triangle to me. But either way, I hope that both of them are returned to our city unharmed. Hopefully soon, we have acting Captain of the police department on site, trying to control the situation."

Then, Lieutenant Anders' big head occupied the rest of the screen. "This situation is mostly under control, we're assuming the captors are still inside the building, seeing as there is still movement spotted in the main lobby area, however, I am waiting until the situation has quieted down a little further before I send my SWAT team inside the building."

"Thank you sir, but this situation has been underway for almost ten hours, when do you anticipate that it will end?"

"Like I said, Soon. We're just waiting on the tiniest of signals from either Natara or Mal, trained police agents, that it is safe to proceed into the building, and we will do so."

I had a bad feeling about it. Just a straight up bad feeling.

**Mal Fallon**

Natara's head had gracefully planted itself on my shoulder. It had been a few hours, and sure, I was tired, but not tired enough to let myself fall asleep while Natara was sleeping. Not here, anyways.

I waited and waited, just eyeing the guards. I didn't know what my plan was. I knew that as far as escaping went, we would have to do it soon.

But not soon enough, right then, Esmeralda came strolling right back into the room, but this time, she didn't look like she was feeling too well.

"Rise and shine, kitty cats!" She started screaming, looking like Godzilla, getting ready to bulldoze San Francisco. Her eyes were popping out of her head, her hair was frizzy. Her face looked pale, despite her naturally tan skin. I nudged Natara awake gently, but her eyes weren't opening. Out like a light, I realized that maybe I'd be working alone here.

Esmeralda laughed. "Oh, yeah. She won't be rising anytime soon."

I looked at Natara, confused as to what she meant.

"Her gag was dipped in a highly toxic chemical, Mal. At least I had the decency to kill her softly. She didn't suffer."

My jaw dropped, seeing that Esmeralda was being honest. Natara looked very sick, the color washed from her face. Her breathing seemed slow. Her body was completely limp against my shoulder. It was disgusting, seeing her like that. I wanted to fix her. But something told me, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, that I was losing her. I had to act fast.

"Esmeralda, are you on something right now?"

She looked shocked. "No! What makes you say that? Is it the way my mind is freakin' racing? That must be it!" She picked up a giant crate that was laying in the middle of the room that the guard had been using as a chair earlier and slammed it against the wall, smashing it into a few shards of wood that fell to the floor. But she caught one. "But either way, Detective. It's been fun. It _really really _has. However, somebody has to do the dirty work here. And I guess… Well, I guess that's me. And it's just that… ugh. This is SO cute! Romeo and Juliet style."

I didn't have a plan, but I needed to get one. The piece of wood in her hand was sharp, and aimed right at my throat. "Be careful, Wouldn't want you to get a splinter. That wood looks quite sharp."

She looked confused, but not confused enough to remove the wood from my throat.

"… But unfortunately, Mrs. Salazar, your wood isn't sharp enough to penetrate skin. Anybody with eyes and common sense can see that. Maybe it's the drugs… you know… affecting your perception of things."

She tensed up and her teeth clenched, unleashing a vicious growl. After throwing the wood to the floor, and it crashing to pieces, she pulled out a midnight black pistol, aimed at my temple. "Mr. Fallon, I will see you in hell. Tell Jacob I send my regards."

I waited for the click, accepting my fate, but when I heard it, I didn't feel anything. ,My eyes were tightly closed shut. 'Huh.' I thought. _Quick and painless._

Was I really dead? I didn't feel dead. It just felt as though my eyes were closed. So I tried to open them, and what I saw was astounding. Three dead bodies were at my feet, including the body of Esmeralda Salazar. There was a thick, velvet-like blood coming from her mouth and nose. The same had happened to the guards.

I looked over at Natara, still looking pale, her nose leaking blood just as theirs did, and decided I had to act now. I had to get Natara out of there. I scooped her up into my arms and as soon as I made it towards the door of the room. I was greeted with another gun. "FREEZE! SFPD!"

I moved to the side of the hall and out of the way. It was the SWAT teams. "I need an ambulance! Now!" I shouted towards the door, where more members still came rushing in. I checked all of her vitals. Her pulse was still there, but it was very slow. Her breathing was almost non-existent. And her heartbeat was thick and heavy. I just hoped I really wasn't too late.

**5 more hours later: San Francisco General Hospital**

I tried to make myself comfortable in the lobby, but it was pretty difficult. The nurses and doctors all said it was a fifty-fifty. All they can do is supply her with an oxygen pump and hope it brings her back. I leaned over my knees with my palms on my forehead, praying for Natara.

It made me think: Could I really do this? Could I be with Natara and watch her undergo life and death situations regularly, while still being her boyfriend. She wasn't my partner anymore. And as a matter of fact, she was supposed to leave and go back to Quantico today- which was something else I didn't know if I could deal with. But at the moment, all I wanted was for her to wake up and be alright.

Another hour or so later, a surprising face wandered in through the front doors. "Anders? What are you doing here? Where's Captain Yeong?"

He plopped down on the chair next to me. "Great to see you, too. I needed to talk to you. Look, with everything that's happened today… I made a decision."

"Continue." I expected the worst.

"I realized that… I can't do it. If I make Natara work alone, you're just gonna follow her. So.. You two can be partners again, Mal. I'm not going to take that away from you. _However, _in order for me to be able to justify this, you're going to need to keep things quiet around the station. If you two ever start dating, you cannot let the public or anybody at the precinct know."

I wondered if that was really possible, but I didn't say anything else. "Thanks, will do, Lieutenant."

"And also, today, no matter how this looks, you did the right thing. If you wouldn't have gone in there, she would have been dead."

"I trust Natara, it's Esmeralda I don't trust."

He nodded. "Rightfully so. Speaking of, Did you want to know why she died?"

"Of course."

"Well, There was trace amounts of cocaine in her system, and it made us wonder, she passed out so suddenly, was it an unintentional overdose? But actually, she's much more stupid than she lets on. The toxic chemical that she soaked Natara's rag in, she neglected to wash her hands before she laid down a line or two upstairs. So as soon as the drugs took their effect, so did the poison."

"What was the chemical?"

"They call it 'Nitro 1'. It's very popular among the drug cartels. They slip it into their client's substances sometimes, it's an easy, very quiet kill."

_Easy. Quiet. Kill._ I didn't like those words being tied to Natara. Anders claimed he had to go, and to take a couple of days off. I thanked him and despite my surprise, I had to contain it. The doctor came walking up to me. "Hello Mr. Falcon, I am Dr. Edwards. How are you?"

I studied the man. He was very short, but he made up for it with his muscular features. He had the hint of some kind of accent. "I'd be better if people didn't mess up my name."

He looked down at his clipboard. "Oh my- sorry, Detective Fallon. Follow me this way. Your partner is looking promising. _Very _promising. Is she single?"

My jaw dropped, fists clenched. "Nope. In fact, you're looking at her boyfriend."

The color drained from his face. "I was just playing around! Besides, I'm married. Anyways though, her heart monitor says she's stabilizing, and she'll be awake now any minute. Just.. Don't expect her to be super alert. It will take a few more hours for her to gain full sobriety back."

"So… she's going to be okay?" That was such a dumb question, Natara was always okay.

"Yes Sir, she will." He unlocked the door to her room, where I heard the _beep… beep… beep…_of her heart monitor. Combined with that were the subtle inhales and exhales of her oxygen pump. I watched her, pale, lifeless, and didn't know if I could keep my promise of not overwhelming her when she woke up.

**Natara Williams**

Being dead was strange. My life didn't even flash before my eyes, nor did I see Ken, or Shawn, or anybody else that died recently. Everything was just black.

However, I also felt sort of conscious. I felt like I was waking up from a very long nap. And before I could adjust, my lungs started burning. I began coughing uncontrollably. I felt suddenly warm, even though I had been cold for a while. I wanted it to stay. And then I heard a soft voice. A voice I loved. "Natara…"

I still couldn't open my eyes. The coughing stayed persistent and I didn't know what to do. I thought that death wanted to take me again. Besides, Esmeralda was going to kill me, anyways. Maybe this was better. "Natara… Come on, you're so close. Don't give up."

It was _Mal. _Scratch what I said, I wanted to wake up. I wanted to be with Mal. I wanted to live with him. Be near him every day, kiss him every night before bed. Kiss him every morning before the day started, hold him when he feels like giving up, hug him whenever I felt lost. I wanted to wake up. I needed to wake up.

I fought my lids with everything I had, and I pushed towards the surface. Yes, as if I was swimming up from the bottom of the ocean. I was fighting. I just wanted to breathe again. I was so close, so close… and then… I opened my eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Natara Williams continued.**

"There you are". His piercing blue eyes smiled at me. I just wanted to squeeze him, but I hadn't gained enough strength back to do that yet.

I tried to speak, but my throat was burning. "I need… water. I need water."

He went to the table next to the hospital bed and picked up the pastel Dixie cup filled with water, holding it to my lips, I chugged every drop. After the water was all gone, I could finally speak. "Mal… what the hell happened?"

He chuckled. "That's… a very long story. But of course, I guess that just depends on how much you remember."

"No, no. I remember being held hostage but… did I really sleep that whole time? Why am I in the hospital? What happened to me? And why can't I remember it?"

He took a deep breath and plopped down in a chair next to my bed. "No, You were… drugged? I guess. That gag that they shoved in your mouth had been soaked in a highly toxic, normally very fatal substance that they planned to kill you with.. But thankfully, Esmeralda was a little forgetful and forgot to wash the substance off of her hands before she did a line of cocaine. True fact."

The situation was pretty funny, but also very tragic. Somebody as smart as Esme would only go down as an idiot. "But why don't I remember?"

He shrugged, as his fingers found mine and laced with them. "Who knows, probably a side-effect of the chemical."

"What chemical was it?" I asked.

"It's called I think 'Nitro 1'. Popular among the drug cartels, apparently. If you don't like your client, killing them is fairly simple. This drug puts em' down real easy."

"I've heard of it, actually!" I replied, "And actually, if I did intake it… I think I'm a living, breathing miracle. I've never heard of anybody surviving that."

He smiled again, locking me in with his gaze. "Yes. Yes, you are."

He planted a soft kiss on my forehead, sending shivers down my spine. It then hit me that this was what it was supposed to be like. Being in love. Somebody that gives you butterflies not just on the first date, but every day. Somebody that you know cares for you horribly, that you also care for horribly; somebody you'd take a bullet for without hesitation. Despite all the flack I was going to get from… everybody. I knew I was going in the right direction, at least. "So when can I leave?" I asked, "I just want to go my hotel and… sleep."

"Yeah, Anders actually gave me some time off. If you can believe it. And Guess what else. You won't even believe it."

I waited.

"We're partners."

I was confused. "No, we used to be. Did you forget that…" I found myself begin to frown, and the thought of not working with Mal ever again made me want to bawl my eyes out and cry half an ocean, so I stopped.

"Listen," he began, "he saw what happened today and decided that San Francisco _needs_ us to be partners. We can't be separated. Besides, he kind of figured that I would refuse to work with anybody else."

Joy filled my cheeks and I couldn't help but smile. "Wow, can't say I'm not surprised! How did you accomplish that?"

"I didn't do anything, actually. That's what's really shocking. But there's a catch…"

Uh oh. This was going to be the buzz kill.

"We can't date. Or rather, nobody can know that we're together. Because the second anybody at the precinct finds out, they'll separate us."

Of course. This was only going to be the dilemma of the century. Love? Or my career? I wanted to be with Mal, very badly, and now more than ever. But was it worth risking knowing I'll have him taken from me the second that they find out we're together? It would be impossible to hide. Somebody would slip eventually and say something. I didn't know what to think. "So… what do you think we should do?"

He looked down and shook his head. "Give up. Obviously. I mean, you're cool. But I can't risk it."

I was horrified, and I felt the color wash from my face. How could he have interrupted my wedding, confessed he loved me, and just saved my life _again, _but not want to be with me? It was definitely a huge risk, but maybe it was worth it.

That's when he smiled, and his eyes met mine again, knocking my walls right down. "You believed me just then." He chuckled. "Don't do that, at least not there. Natara, I've waited too long. Having feelings and letting them grow inside of me, but not saying anything, and having been denied by you before. The last thing I'll ever do is let something like this stand in our way. I know earlier we were in life or death but I still meant what I said. I love you. And I want to be with you, as a partner romantically and in our career. If somebody finds out then we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. Okay?"

His answer was perfection. He couldn't have said it better, nor I. Or anybody, for that matter. I waited for his lips to meet mine, but I didn't wait long. Our lips moved together in synchrony. And everything was warm. Perfect. Despite everything, all that I could do was smile. "So when can I get out of here? You didn't answer my question."

"That's because I have no idea. I know Anders or the Captain will want for you to at least take the rest of the week off. But as far as hospital discharge, I'll have to find out."

"You should. I hate hospitals…'

He smiled. "Yeah you do. Let me go find a nurse. I'll be back in a minute, babe."

Just a tiny, four-letter pet name sent a shiver down my spine. Just because it was said with his voice.

**Twelve Hours Later- Mal Fallon**

The hospital said it was mandatory they kept her at least 24 hours. Really, it may have been necessary, Natara wasn't exactly conscious long. And her breathing seemed slow. But either way, after she was discharged, we grabbed Chinese, just as I promised her. After waiting a painful thirty minutes for the food to be ready, I took her back to her hotel and ate with her.

We watched TV together, cuddling and whatnot for about two hours. But before she fell asleep, she asked a question. "Mal, are you going to stay with me tonight?"

It was going on one-thirty in the morning. I wanted to. And the thing was, I could be a real dog. But with Natara, she wasn't somebody I wanted to hook up with. I mean, I did. She was gorgeous. But I wanted to be with her. And not rush anything. So I didn't know what to say. "I'd definitely like to keep an eye on you. But that's up to you. Your place."

"Please. _Please."_

Hearing Natara beg was strange. She sounded so desperate. But I knew why she was. It was so warm, so perfect. I didn't want to leave her, either. I could have fallen asleep at any minute. I wrapped my arms tighter around her shoulders, letting her know I wasn't leaving. "Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

I waited for a response from her, but didn't get one. I looked down, and soon after I heard heavy breaths. She was sleeping already.

Which didn't surprise me, she was exhausted. And I was, too, but I didn't want to sleep yet.

I mean, I did. But I couldn't. My mind wouldn't let me. It kept making me toss and turn, and eventually, get up and go to the restroom. And when I came back, Natara was awake. I should have figured she would have been.

**Natara Williams**

As soon as the warmth left my body, I felt myself about to wake up. I peeled my eyes open to the light of my bathroom sneaking into the pure darkness of the hall. And shortly after, the light turned off. A tall, dark shadowy figure moved towards my bed. I was a little alarmed, and then I realized it was just Mal. 'Where did you disappear off to?"

"Just the bathroom. I can see I was missed."

I let my lips form a smile as he curled up next to me again. "You sure were. Have you even slept at all yet?"

He waited a moment before shaking his head. "No. I'm working on it, though."

"Work harder." I replied, sending a smile towards him.

He chuckled with me momentarily and pecked me on the forehead briefly. "Your attitude is tiring me out. Keep it up."

He must have been telling the truth, because he suddenly seemed much more drowsy, and like he could fall asleep any minute. And even though it seemed like I slept too much already, I felt the same way. I rested my head against his chest. The world burnt out like a candle, flickering in and out and then my eyesight turned black. I felt warm. I felt safe, but most of all, I felt _loved._


End file.
